News & Op-Ed Commentary from The People's Republic of Moscow (Idaho)

President Trump Moves to Shrink Two National Monuments in Utah

I’ve never understood why progressives think that people in D.C. can better take care of national treasures than the states and local citizens.

President Trump announced plans to roll back Obama-era monument designations in Utah.

During a speech Monday, the president said he is signing two proclamations which will shrink the Bears Ears National Monument and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Bears Ears, the twin rock formations which form part of Bears Ears National Monument in the Four Corners region, are pictured in Utah, U.S. May 16, 2017. (Photo/REUTERS/Bob Strong)He called the measures a reversal of federal overreach, and says the move will restore the rights of land to the people of Utah.

The president says the residents of the state know how to protect and conserve their own land, and Washington politicians do not.

He added, lands must be protected and now will be protected by this new measure.